The Vaqueros defeated the Chicago State University 77-46 tonight in their seventh Western Athletic Conference game, improving their record to 11-12 overall and 3-4 in conference play.
During the first minutes of the game at the Fieldhouse, the Cougars opened the half with a layup and a 3-pointer, leading the score 5-2.
UTRGV graduate guard Tyson Smith sank a pair of 3-pointers and a layup to start a 12-2 run to put the Vaqueros 14-7.
At the end of the first half, junior guard Jordan Jackson made a layup, a dunk and tw0-3 pointers to contribute to the Vaqueros lead 36-17 at halftime.
In the second half, senior forward Terry Winn III scored a pair of layups and two free-throws to lead UTRGV to a 17-6 run and finish the game with a 31-point gap in favor of the Vaqueros.
Leading the team were sophomore Javon Levi with 12 assists, nine points, eight rebounds and four steals, and Winn contributed 14 points. Jackson and sophomore guard Greg Bowie II both hit three 3-pointers.
Head Coach Lew Hill said the team showed maturity.
“I thought our guys shared the ball, played hard,” Hill said. “[They] did a real good job and in games like this, you can get selfish, but our guys definitely grew up.”
The next match for the Vaqueros will be at 7 p.m. Saturday against University of Missouri-Kansas City at the UTRGV Fieldhouse.